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>dblink_open</H1
><DIV
CLASS="REFNAMEDIV"
><A
NAME="AEN130989"
></A
><H2
>Name</H2
>dblink_open&nbsp;--&nbsp;opens a cursor in a remote database</DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSYNOPSISDIV"
><A
NAME="AEN130992"
></A
><H2
>Synopsis</H2
><PRE
CLASS="SYNOPSIS"
>dblink_open(text cursorname, text sql [, bool fail_on_error]) returns text
dblink_open(text connname, text cursorname, text sql [, bool fail_on_error]) returns text</PRE
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSECT1"
><A
NAME="AEN130994"
></A
><H2
>Description</H2
><P
>    <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>dblink_open()</CODE
> opens a cursor in a remote database.
    The cursor can subsequently be manipulated with
    <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>dblink_fetch()</CODE
> and <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>dblink_close()</CODE
>.
   </P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSECT1"
><A
NAME="AEN131000"
></A
><H2
>Arguments</H2
><P
></P
><DIV
CLASS="VARIABLELIST"
><DL
><DT
><TT
CLASS="PARAMETER"
>conname</TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>       Name of the connection to use; omit this parameter to use the
       unnamed connection.
      </P
></DD
><DT
><TT
CLASS="PARAMETER"
>cursorname</TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>       The name to assign to this cursor.
      </P
></DD
><DT
><TT
CLASS="PARAMETER"
>sql</TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>       The <TT
CLASS="COMMAND"
>SELECT</TT
> statement that you wish to execute in the remote
       database, for example <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>select * from pg_class</TT
>.
      </P
></DD
><DT
><TT
CLASS="PARAMETER"
>fail_on_error</TT
></DT
><DD
><P
>       If true (the default when omitted) then an error thrown on the
       remote side of the connection causes an error to also be thrown
       locally. If false, the remote error is locally reported as a NOTICE,
       and the function's return value is set to <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>ERROR</TT
>.
      </P
></DD
></DL
></DIV
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSECT1"
><A
NAME="AEN131026"
></A
><H2
>Return Value</H2
><P
>    Returns status, either <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>OK</TT
> or <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>ERROR</TT
>.
   </P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSECT1"
><A
NAME="AEN131031"
></A
><H2
>Notes</H2
><P
>    Since a cursor can only persist within a transaction,
    <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>dblink_open</CODE
> starts an explicit transaction block
    (<TT
CLASS="COMMAND"
>BEGIN</TT
>) on the remote side, if the remote side was
    not already within a transaction.  This transaction will be
    closed again when the matching <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>dblink_close</CODE
> is
    executed.  Note that if
    you use <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>dblink_exec</CODE
> to change data between
    <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>dblink_open</CODE
> and <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>dblink_close</CODE
>,
    and then an error occurs or you use <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>dblink_disconnect</CODE
> before
    <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>dblink_close</CODE
>, your change <SPAN
CLASS="emphasis"
><I
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
>will be
    lost</I
></SPAN
> because the transaction will be aborted.
   </P
></DIV
><DIV
CLASS="REFSECT1"
><A
NAME="AEN131043"
></A
><H2
>Examples</H2
><PRE
CLASS="SCREEN"
>SELECT dblink_connect('dbname=postgres');
 dblink_connect
----------------
 OK
(1 row)

SELECT dblink_open('foo', 'select proname, prosrc from pg_proc');
 dblink_open
-------------
 OK
(1 row)</PRE
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